First school-picked the top ones for my major, then the one that felt most comfortable on campus, while taking into account what I could afford.

Second/current school- there are so few schools for my degree, and even then they only accept 5-15 students per year, so I had to go with wherever I was accepted as the priority. Then came looking at the quality of programs, tuition costs, and the cost of move/housing in new area. Staying in-state, like many places, had the additional advantages of being less expensive plus some grants/scholarships for being an in-state student, and not having to necessarily relocate. This was ideal for me at this point in my life. For these reasons plus the quality of the program, I choose to stay at the in-state school but the trade off is having one heck of a commute, which is not recommended. Being closer to campus is ideal.